Hoffa: Forget Government-Run Health Care, We Need Card Check

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  September 4th at 11:20 AM  | 

I’ve mentioned before that Democrats in Washington would face a major problem once it became clear that they were headed for significant losses in 2010. Specifically, once everyone agrees that the window is closing on major statist change, there’s an incentive for interest groups to fight for their pet cause over others. Environmentalists, high-taxers, health-care-rationers, opponents of traditional values, and other liberal wingnuts might play | Read More »

NYT: Labor Gives Up On ‘Card Check’

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  July 17th at 02:00 PM  | 

According to the New York Times, labor leaders are turning to the ‘Plan B’ that has been speculated on for months. Faced with the prospect of trying to get swing-state Democrat Senators to vote for a radioactive bill, they have thrown in the towel on the best-known part of ‘Card Check’ – the part that gives the bill its name: A half-dozen senators friendly to | Read More »

SEIU Won’t Allow Card Check for Union Organizing

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  July 8th at 09:58 AM  | 

The SEIU is one of the most powerful forces pushing for enactment of Card Check. But if a rival union promises better representation for SEIU workers and tries to get a majority of them to sign cards, the SEIU turns to thug tactics and fights them tooth and nail: One of the leading proponents of a bill that would allow workers to form a union | Read More »

In New York, They Call this Chutzpah

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  June 15th at 05:38 PM  | 

How’s this for shameless. The unions who support eliminating the secret ballot are trying to promote their cause by linking their effort to Iranian protesters angry at having their secret ballot stolen. Or maybe I’m being too pessimistic. Perhaps Card Check’s supporters have turned over a new leaf – impressed and moved by the videos from Iran of thousands of protesters insisting on the sanctity | Read More »

Harkin: Card Check Possible Next Month

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  June 10th at 10:32 PM  | 

According to Senator Tom Harkin (D-Labor), the Senate may vote next month on a Card Check compromise: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) indicated Wednesday that he will be ready to bring up the long-stalled Employee Free Choice Act next month, following weeks of negotiations with key stakeholders. “We’re in meetings right now. I’m still hopeful that we can get something done,” Harkin said. The Iowa Democrat | Read More »

Harkin: Arlen Nearly Back on Board on Card Check

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  May 6th at 03:38 PM  | 

It seems there aren’t really any convictions Arlen Specter won’t sell in order to help him win reelection. According to his new colleague Tom Harkin, Specter realizes that he’s toast in a Democratic primary if he doesn’t kiss labor’s ring that he was wrong about Card Check: A spokesperson for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the lead sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, confirmed today | Read More »

Specter’s Switch Breathes New Life into Card Check

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  April 29th at 05:24 PM  | 

Yesterday Arlen Specter said that despite his switch to the Democratic party, he would not be changing his position on Card Check. It doesn’t seem as if Card Check backers are taking him seriously though. Despite his comments yesterday – which were widely portrayed as a strong statement against the bill – they’re pushing harder than ever: But [Specter] left himself some wiggle room when | Read More »

Card Check Loses Another Senator

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  April 7th at 04:16 PM  | 

Colorado’s Michael Bennet – who faces the voters for the first time next year – had a rough meeting with ‘progressives’ in Colorado. It sounds as if he thinks that his re-election chances suffer if he supports the Obama agenda. In particular, he doesn’t like Card Check: Bennet has been one of the few Senate Democrats who have declined to take a stand on the | Read More »

Harkin Seeks Card Check Compromise

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  March 27th at 03:22 PM  | 

According to Roll Call, the primary Senate sponsor of the Card Check bill has begun to reach out to Republicans on possible compromise legislation: With Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) refusing to back a controversial union organizing bill, Senate Democrats have tapped Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to begin preliminary discussions with a handful of moderate Republicans to try to come up with a new plan for | Read More »

Is Corporate America Really this Suicidal?

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  March 21st at 01:44 PM  | 

According to the Wall Street Journal, three major retailers are caving on Card Check: Three big retailers are expected to back an alternative proposal next week on a hotly contested bill that would make it easier to unionize workplaces, a move some experts said would bolster the legislation’s chance of passage. Costco Wholesale Corp., Starbucks Corp. and Whole Foods Market Inc. are supporting the alternative | Read More »

Bob Casey Better Read Card Check

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  March 13th at 05:08 PM  | 

If he actually read the bill, he might avoid embarrassing mistakes like this one: Area Democrats in Congress, including moderate “Blue Dog” U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-8th, of Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, all support legislation that would eliminate secret-ballot elections for many workforces considering unionization. Every Democratic member of the House of Representatives in the Philadelphia area, as well as U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, | Read More »

Harkin Turns Card Check ‘Hearing’ Into Union Rally

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  March 11th at 03:37 PM  | 

You have to see it to believe it: I worked on Capitol Hill long enough to know that most Congressional hearings have nothing to do with gathering information; they’re dog-and-pony shows intended to showcase an issue. I’ve never seen one actually converted into a union rally before – especially with the blessing of the Committee Chairman. If union thugs are willing to boo, hiss, and | Read More »

Card Check Threat Weakens WalMart Stock

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  March 11th at 03:25 PM  | 

Democrats tell us that Card Check won’t do any harm to the economy – that it will only help American workers. Tell that to the people who hold stock in WalMart – many of whom are WalMart employees: Citigroup Inc. lowered its rating on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to hold from buy on Tuesday, citing concern that legislation intended to make it easier for employees to | Read More »

Reid: Without GOP Help, Card Check Could Take a While

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  March 11th at 07:03 AM  | 

This is the best news I’m likely to hear today. I’m also thrilled that Harry Reid is willing to ‘blame’ the Republicans for any delay in passing Card Check; it demonstrates that his political instincts haven’t gotten any sharper. God-willing Card Check will be soundly defeated, and Reid and the Senate Democratic leadership will hold a series of press conferences and public events castigating Republicans | Read More »

Blue Dogs Try to Stop Card Check

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  February 18th at 05:13 PM  | 

The Blue Dogs make a pretty good case: they bellied up to the bar and by-and-large supported a spending bill that Joe Biden warns will be used against them next year. Now the House leadership seems likely to ask them to line up and vote to end the secret ballot for union organizing — which is likely to wind up even less popular than the | Read More »

Internal Dem Strife Over Card Check?

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  January 16th at 02:45 PM  | 

Amanda Carpenter has the story: A reputable source tells Big Labor is “in a panic” because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid isn’t ready to call up a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, known as “card check” to its opponents.

AFL-CIO Gets Foreign Help to Pass Card Check

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  January 15th at 01:27 PM  | 

Over at Shopfloor, they note that the AFL-CIO is proud enough of international cooperation that they’re bragging about it at their website: Yesterday at the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., union leaders from 45 different countries met with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and representatives of U.S. union organizations to discuss the union movement in the United States and the need to work together to pass the | Read More »

With Card Check, Some Unions Plan to Unionize Silicon Valley

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  December 22nd at 08:05 PM  | 

In the lobbying community, America’s high-tech companies have always had a reputation for timidity. They have historically tried to stay out of policy fights that could sully their above-the-fray reputation, in favor of issues that lent themselves to bipartisan coalitions. The bread and butter of the tech sector lobbyist is in areas like funding for science and math education, and visas for a few thousand | Read More »

Democrats Going Wobbly on Card Check

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  December 22nd at 03:48 PM  | 

What accounts for the sudden decline in the fortunes of America’s labor unions? Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that labor leaders helped elect the most liberal chief executive in modern times? Even before he’s sworn in, the debates over the automaker bailout and Card Check are making clear that as important as the White House is, you can’t succeed if your policy goals | Read More »

Card Check’s Powerful New Opponent

By: Brian Faughnan (Diary)  |  December 11th at 02:24 PM  | 

Would you want to defy McDonalds? Two of America’s largest unions have denounced McDonald’s Corp. this week following Crain’s story that the company is mobilizing franchisees against a law designed to make it easier for workers to unionize. The Service Employee International Union encouraged its 1.8 million members to send letters to McDonald’s in support of the proposed Employee Free Choice Act. The AFL-CIO issued | Read More »